X Heucherella plant named ‘Eye Spy’

ABSTRACT

The new hybrid X Heucherella plant named ‘Eye Spy’ with moderately cleft palmately lobed foliage having acute apices and variable coloration starting in the spring as amber yellow-colored with dark rose centers, transitioning to bright chartreuse green with slight silver overlay and burgundy surrounding the veins. ‘Eye Spy’ produces a pink flower effect from fine white petals, pink calyces and deep rose buds beginning in late spring. Habit is low mounded and winter-hardy plants are able to withstand more heat and sun than typical X Heucherella cultivars.

Botanical denomination: X Heucherella (Heuchera x Tiarella).

Cultivar designation: ‘Eye Spy’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct intergeneric hybrid between Coral Bells and Foam Flower, both in the Saxifragaceae family and given the cultivar name of ‘Eye Spy’ with the combined generic epithet X Heucherella. X Heucherella ‘Eye Spy’ resulted from an intentional cross between the unreleased proprietary Heuchera hybrid known by the breeder code 12-62-03 (not patented) as the female or seed parent and the unreleased proprietary Tiarella hybrid known by the breeder code 11-14-08 as the male or pollen parent. The new plant was hybridized by Hans A. Hansen at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA on Jan. 31, 2013 and seeds from the cross harvested in the spring of 2013. The new plant passed the original evaluation in summer 2013 and was given the breeder code of 13-99-9 in the spring of 2014 through the subsequent years of further evaluations. The new plant was selected from among many other crosses and X Heucherella seedlings growing at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. which met the rigorous criteria of excellent foliage and habit established as breeding goals. X Heucherella ‘Eye Spy’ has been asexually propagated since 2014 by division of the rhizome at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. and also by careful shoot tissue culture propagation. The resultant asexually propagated plants have remained stable and exhibit the same characteristics as the original plant.

No plants of X Heucherella ‘Eye Spy’ have been disclosed or sold, under this or any name, in this country or anywhere in the world, prior to the filing of this application, with the exception of that which may have been disclosed within one year of the filing of this application and was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

X Heucherella ‘Eye Spy’ differs from its parents as well as all other X Heucherella known to the applicant. Compared with the female parent with coral red flowers with deep rose buds, the new plant has light pink flowers with light rose buds. The foliage of the female parent is less dissected with rounded apices, has a general burgundy color with silver overlay. The male parent has a chartreuse to light green leaf margin and the flowers are near white compared with the new plant. The most similar cultivars include: X Heucherella ‘Alabama Sunrise’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,611 and ‘Stoplight’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,835.

Compared with the new plant, ‘Stoplight’ has shallower cleft foliage with more rounded lobes and the flowers and buds are not as pink and rose-colored respectively. Compared with the new plant, ‘Alabama Sunrise’ has more deeply cleft foliage with thinner burgundy coloration surrounding the veins and the flowers and buds are white

The new plant differs from all Heuchera, X Heucherella and Tiarella known to the inventor in the following combined traits:

-   -   1. The foliage color of X Heucherella ‘Eye Spy’ is variable with         the seasons starting in the spring as an amber yellow-colored         with dark rose centers.     -   2. Leaves transition to bright chartreuse green with slight         silver overlay and burgundy surrounding the veins.     -   3. The leaf blade shape is moderately cleft with sharp lobes         tips.     -   4. The flower petals are near-white with pink calyces and deep         rose buds, tightly arranged on panicles just over the foliage in         late spring.     -   5. Habit is low mounded with multiple tightly clustered shoots         emerging at the base all season.     -   6. The plant is robust, seedless, compact and is more heat and         sun tolerant than typical X Heucherella.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance of ‘Eye Spy’ including the unique traits. The plant in the photograph is of a two-year old plant grown in a double-poly coated greenhouse without further shading, with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Some slight variation of color may occur as a result of lighting quality, intensity, wavelength, and direction or reflection.

FIG. 1 shows a two-year-old plant in a shaded trial garden in Zeeland, Mich. in peak spring flowering.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flowers and buds.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following description is based on two-year-old and three-year-old plants growing in double poly greenhouse with supplemental water and fertilizer at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA. The new plant has not been grown under all possible environments and may phenotypically appear different under different conditions such as light, temperatures, fertilizer, and water, without any difference in genotype. The color descriptions are from the 2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used.

-   Parentage: Unreleased proprietary hybrid Heuchera 12-62-03 as the     female (seed parent); unreleased proprietary hybrid Tiarella     11-14-08 as the male (pollen); parentage of the female comprises     Heuchera ‘Fire Chief’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,880, Heuchera ‘Mocha     Mint’ (not patented) and Heuchera ‘Milan’ U.S. Plant Pat. No.     21,682; lineage of the male parent comprises Tiarella ‘Pink Brushes’     U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,329 and Tiarella ‘Cascade Creeper’ U.S. Plant     Pat. No. 21,925; -   Plant habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial of tightly compact rhizomes     with basal rosette of mounded foliage; foliage of two-year-old plant     about 18 cm tall and 46 cm in diameter, foliage of three-year-old     plant about 26 cm tall and 56 cm diameter; -   Roots: Fibrous, finely branched; when actively growing near white in     color depending on soil type; -   Growth rate: Rapid, rooting from cutting in 2 weeks and finishing in     three-liter container in about 3 months; beginning to flower in 6 to     8 weeks following a 9 week vernalization; -   Foliage: Leaf blade puberulent abaxial and adaxial; palmately     five-lobed to seven-lobed, lobes incised typically to less than one     third of the way to petiole; matte surface above and below; lobe     apices acute to mucronulate; base truncate to cordate with lobes     typically not imbricate; blade to about 11.8 cm long and 12.5 cm     wide, average about 10.2 cm long and 10.8 cm wide; center lobe to     about 5.5 cm long and 3.8 cm wide at base, average about 5.0 cm long     and 3.5 cm wide; -   Foliage color: Leaf color is seasonally variable; young expanding     leaves adaxial apices nearest RHS 146D, region in mid-portion     nearest RHS 160A, surrounding veins between RHS 187C and RHS 60A;     young expanding abaxial leaf apices nearest RHS N144D, region in     mid-portion RHS 160C blushed with RHS 187C, surrounding veins     nearest RHS 187B; flowering and mid-season adaxial mid-portion     nearest RHS 146D with slight silver overlay, surrounding veins     nearest RHS 187A with slight silver overlay, and margin 0.5 mm with     tinting of nearest RHS 187B; flowering and mid-season abaxial 0.5 mm     margin with tinting of nearest RHS 187B, mid-portion between RHS     145A and RHS N144D, surrounding veins nearest RHS 187A with overlay     of nearest RHS 188B; late fall adaxial mid-portion between RHS 138A     and RHS 138B with slight silver overlay, surrounding veins nearest     blend of RHS N187A and RHS N189A; -   Leaf margin: Ciliolate; serrulate; -   Leaf apex: Acute; -   Leaf base: Cordate; lobes seldom imbricate; -   Leaf surface: Puberulent to pubescent adaxial and abaxial; -   Leaf quantity: Dense, about six per division and 260 per     three-year-old plant; -   Veins: Palmate, pubescent adaxial and abaxial; -   Vein color: Adaxial expanding foliage between RHS 170D and RHS N170D     and abaxial nearest RHS 160D; mid-season and flowering adaxial main     and secondary veins nearest RHS N144D, mid-season and flowering     abaxial main veins nearest RHS 160D; -   Petiole: Terete; pubescent; base clasping; to 20.5 cm long and 4.0     mm diameter base; average about 16.5 cm long and 3.5 mm diameter at     base; wiry but flexible; -   Petiole color: On emerging foliage distally nearest RHS 150D and in     basal one-half with light blush nearest RHS 182C with RHS 150     undertone; mid-season and flowering between RHS 187C and RHS 160D     with increased tinting of RHS 187C with more intense light; -   Inflorescence: In lightly branched panicle, about thirty racemes per     plant; about 90 flowers per panicle; first panicle flowering     beginning in late spring with repeat racemes flowering into summer;     individual panicles remaining in flower for about four weeks; flower     attitude mostly outwards; individual flowers remaining effective for     about 4 days; -   Fragrance: None detected; -   Peduncle: Terete, erect; glandular, puberulent to pubescent; to     about 48.0 cm tall and 3.5 mm diameter at base, average about 32.0     cm tall and 3.3 mm diameter base; flowering portion about 13.0 cm     long and 5.5 cm across; -   Peduncle attitude: Upright; erect; -   Peduncle branches: In lower three-quarters of flowering portion of     peduncle with average of 3.5 flowers per branch on 20 branches;     branches to about 9.0 cm long and about 0.8 mm diameter at base; -   Peduncle color: Distal region between RHS 183C and RHS N186C and     basal region nearest RHS183C; -   Pedicel: Terete; puberulent to glandular; to about 4.0 mm long and     0.5 mm in diameter, average about 3.5 mm long and 0.5 mm diameter at     base; -   Pedicel color: Proximally nearest RHS 187B, distally nearest RHS     186B; -   Buds one day prior to opening: Ellipsoid with rounded apex, and     attenuate base; about 3.5 mm long and 2.0 mm diameter; -   Bud color: Nearest RHS 60D; -   Flower: Perfect, campanulate, actinomorphic; about 6.0 mm deep and     8.0 mm in diameter at face; individual flowers lasting about three     to four days on plant or as cut raceme; -   Calyx: Campanulate; five sepals; glandular abaxial, glabrous     adaxial; apex acute, fused in basal 3.0 mm into hypanthium; margin     entire; sepals about 5.5 mm long and 1.5 mm wide at point of fusion; -   Calyx color: Abaxial base nearest RHS 63B, abaxial distal portion     nearest RHS 64D; adaxial near white nearest RHS 63C; -   Petals: Five; adnate to calyx; spatulate, acute apex, narrow     attenuate base; margin entire; finely puberulent outside and     glabrous inside; about 4.0 mm long and 1.0 mm wide; -   Petal color: Abaxial and adaxial nearest RHS NN155D; -   Androecium:     -   -   Filaments.—Five, thin, about 4.0 mm long and less than 0.5             mm in diameter; color white, lighter than RHS N155D.         -   Anthers.—Basifixed; oblong to about 0.5 mm long and about             0.2 mm wide; color nearest RHS N25A.         -   Pollen.—Not observed under present conditions. -   Gynoecium:     -   -   Pistil.—One central two-beaked pistil.         -   Style.—About 6.0 mm long and 0.2 mm at apex flaring to 2.0             mm at base; color nearest RHS 155A.         -   Stigma.—Minute, about 0.2 mm diameter; color nearest RHS             155D.         -   Ovary.—Two carpels; ovoid, apex tapering to meet style;             rounded base and sides; about 2.0 mm across at base and 2.5             mm tall; color nearest RHS 155A. -   Fruit and seed: Not observed; -   Disease and pest tolerance: X Heucherella ‘Eye Spy’ grows best with     ample moisture and good drainage in part shade or protection from     sum in the hottest part of the day. Cold hardy from USDA zones 4     to 9. X Heucherella ‘Eye Spy’ is able to tolerate heat and humidity     better than many X Heucherella. Other pest and disease resistance     and tolerance outside of that normal for X Heucherella is not known. 

It is claimed:
 1. The new and distinct ornamental plant named X Heucherella ‘Eye Spy’ as herein described and illustrated. 